Did you know that the average American household owns a staggering 16 kitchen appliances? From blenders and food processors to air fryers and slow cookers, the modern kitchen is a veritable playground of cooking gadgets and culinary tools. But which of these essential kitchen equipment and must-have kitchen items are truly indispensable?
Our top picks for the most popular kitchen tools bring convenience and efficiency to your everyday cooking routines. Whether you’re inviting the whole crew over for a casual gathering or planning a multi-course dinner party for extended family, the right kitchen utensils and top-rated kitchen accessories can make all the difference in turning a stressful cooking experience into an enjoyable one. From large-capacity appliances that simplify batch cooking to versatile cookware that doubles as serving pieces, we’ve rounded up the best kitchen tools and highly-rated cooking tools that will become your new culinary allies.
Essential Large-Capacity Kitchen Gadgets for Crowd-Pleasing Meals
When it comes to feeding a bunch of hungry guests, the key to a smooth meal lies in your prep work. A great slow cooker can help you churn out tender meats or batches of chili with very little active cooking time on your part. Crock Pot’s hefty 8-quart cooker was named one of our favorite large capacity kitchen appliances, excelling in numerous categories throughout testing. Not only was it large enough to feed a crowd (it can cook up a meal big enough to serve 8-10 people easily), but it heated food evenly and consistently, with no hot spots or burning.
Crock-Pot Programmable Slow Cooker: Effortless Batch Cooking
Party food is notoriously indulgent, but no one wants the task (or smell) of standing over a sizzling pot of oil to fry up buffalo chicken wings while the rest of your guests are mixing and mingling. Instead, opt for cooking all of your bar snacks in an air fryer, which won’t just cut down on the smell and chef participation but the calories, too. Instant Pot’s 10-quart air fryer teams a user-friendly interface with seriously crispy results, tackling seven cooking tasks including air frying, broiling, baking, roasting, dehydrating, reheating, and rotisserie.
Instant Pot Vortex Plus 10-Quart Air Fryer: Crispy Crowd Favorites
If there’s one downside to hosting, it’s feeling like you need to spend all night shackled to your kitchen at the mercy of the next vegetable you need to slice and dice. Cuisinart’s large-capacity food processor is destined to become an MVP in your kitchen. The device has an impressive 14-cup capacity, allowing it to tackle everything from homemade hummus to zesty chimichurri with ease. During testing, we gave this model high marks for its powerful motor and user-friendly interface — with only two buttons (on/off and pulse) — it’s a breath of fresh air compared to more complicated cookware devices.
Cuisinart Food Processor: Your Versatile Prep Workhorse
With the right large capacity kitchen appliances like slow cookers, air fryers, and food processors, you can prepare mouthwatering crowd-pleasing meals and host memorable gatherings with ease. Say goodbye to stressful party prep and batch cooking woes, and embrace the convenience of these essential kitchen workhorses.
Must-Have Cookware for Hosting Memorable Gatherings
There’s not much a Dutch oven can’t do. From braising short ribs for trivia night to cooking up a cobbler for your next book club meeting, this versatile piece of cast iron cookware is a mainstay in any chef’s kitchen — but especially those who entertain often. Lodge is known for the quality, durability, and longevity of its Dutch ovens, so their 7-quart model is a must-have for hosting memorable gatherings. During testing, we were impressed by its ability to flex between different cooking categories, browning chicken thighs and steaming rice with the same finesse.
Lodge Dutch Oven: The Versatile One-Pot Wonder
A reliable baking sheet is good as gold and can mean the difference between impressing your guests with your culinary prowess or a pre-party mad dash to the grocery store. Nordic Ware’s iconic baking sheets are beloved by pro chefs and expert bakers, and they took top honors on our list of best baking sheets. Its aluminum designs performed great in our testing, earning high marks for their tall edges and warp-free durability. While Nordic’s sheets aren’t broiler-safe, you can still crank the heat rather high (up to 475°F to be exact), so everything from nut brittle to baked BBQ chicken wings is within reach.
Nordic Ware Naturals Big Sheet Pan: Baking Brilliance Assured
The most popular kitchen tools for Hassle-Free Hosting
When it comes to hosting memorable gatherings, having the right kitchen tools at your fingertips can make all the difference. From ensuring you never run out of ice to delivering homemade pizza perfection, these must-have gadgets will help streamline your party prep and keep your guests impressed from start to finish.
Luma Comfort Clear Ice Cube Maker: Never Run Out of Ice Again
We’ve all been there: The mad dash to the nearest gas station five minutes before the party starts because you suddenly remember there’s no ice in the cooler. Well, you can bid that unpleasant task farewell by investing in a high-capacity ice maker. Luma’s Comfort Clear ice maker quickly froze out the competition, thanks to its barely-there motor and impressive output. It was able to quickly freeze 24 cubes (a little over one pound) of ice in just under 24 minutes, meaning even if you forget about ice until the hour before your party, this gadget can make quick work of your mistake in the background.
Lodge Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Baking Pan: Homemade Pizza Perfection
Nothing pleases a crowd quite like pizza. And while dialing up your favorite joint for delivery certainly is convenient, moonlighting as an at-home pizzaiolo is even more impressive. To churn out the perfect crispy-meets-chewy pie, you need a great dough recipe, your cheese of choice, and a smoking hot pan. Lodge’s Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Pizza Pan delivers just as high-quality results as a pizza stone, with added versatility. Not only does the pre-seasoned cast iron surface cook up pizza dough to crispy perfection, but it can also be used to sear steak or grill vegetables, too.
John Boos Reversible Cutting Board: Prep in Style
A great cutting board isn’t just a place to slice and dice some food, it’s also a great way to add texture and interest to your kitchen and an important means of safeguarding the sharpness and longevity of your favorite kitchen knives. When it comes to quality cutting boards that double as heirloom accessories, no one does it better than John Boos. Its iconic wood boards can be found in the homes (and professional kitchens) of nearly every chef in the world, and for good reason — they’re solidly made, aesthetically pleasing, and gentle on all your favorite tools.
Glasslock 18-Piece Assorted Container Set: Keep Ingredients Fresh
All your hard work will go to waste if you stash your sliced vegetables or signature guacamole in sub-par storage containers. To ensure your ingredients taste as fresh as the day they were picked, you want an air-tight seal that can easily flex between the refrigerator, freezer, microwave, oven, and even the tabletop. Glasslock’s assorted container set took top honors in our quest for the best glass storage containers, thanks to its versatility and durability. The impressively airtight (and leakproof!) containers kept food fresh, and many of the pieces seamlessly nest within one another for easy storage.